


Court Jester

by orphan_account



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Azula (Avatar) Redemption, Azula has feelings, Basically add two years for everyone, Circus, F/F, Jester AU, King’s Fool AU, Lesbian Feelings, THE GREY EYES, Ty Lee and Azula are 16, Ty Lee was an air nomad, Ursa is a Good Mom, Zuko and Mai are 18, be gay do crimes, circus AU, havent decided yet - Freeform, her grandparents were, how is she so aerodynamic, i guess, i probably will, if I bring anyone else in that is, is she an air bender?, lesbian love and anger, pls I just want my air bender ty, that’s all, yall don’t deny the fact that she looks and acts just like an air nomad, zuko really wants to hang out with his sister and her friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:48:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24940084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: How did the runaway circus girl end up in the royal court, anyways?Aka I’m a lesbian circus freak and wanted to write about my favorite lesbian circus freak
Relationships: Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 88





	Court Jester

The Royal Family of the Fire Nation were incredibly serious about their security. Everyone knew that. Wherever they went, an entregue of at least twenty guards followed. Whether that be to a colony, to check on warships, even just entertainment. And the circus was no exception.

It had been Ursa’s idea, and the children seemed so happy about the concept, that Ozai eventually just broke and took his family out. It wasn’t often this (or any) kind of traveling entertainment arrived in the Fire Nation. It was incredibly pricey, dangerous, and difficult. There was having to change costumes and decor to ‘honor’ the Fire Nation, getting proper work permits, performing well enough… not to mention, how many performers disappeared, just because a particularly hotheaded firebender disliked their act.

Ty Lee knew that well enough. She had had her fair share of fear packed by the Fire Nation, but it was also her home. It gave her an opportunity to visit her mother for a few hours, to see old friends, to eat childhood foods. In the mobile dressing room, Ty Lee sat in a kapotasana, eating a dumpling full of fire flakes. It was a terrible pre-performance snack, she knew it stuck up her joints and made her nose run. But man, were they delicious.

Ty never had the best impulse control, if her running off to the circus didn’t show that. She knew the Royal Family would be here tonight, therefore she should be in her prime, but…

“Ten minutes,” her boss called out. She stuffed the rest of the food in her mouth, rolling forward onto her knees, before standing up. “Got it!” She yelled through a mouthful of pork, stretching her hands above her head. She tightened up her guetres, winding her long braid into a bun. Several pins went in to keep it there. She could perform with it down, but when the thick rope of hair hit her face, it hurt.

She peaked out from behind the silk curtain hiding her from the ring, having to sigh. It was only the royal family and their guards, who really wouldn’t appreciate it. She snuck out to her ladder, ascending to a platform at the apex of the tent. She sat down, winding herself with the silk fabric that sat piled there. The girl on the floor now was wrapped in a huge cobra, one Ty knew could kill her. She always enjoyed the snake charmer, though it seemed she blew under the radar among the audience. The snake was well over six kilograms, it could suffocate her if it wanted, and had enough venom to kill everyone in the tent.

She whistled quietly, cuing the cobra to crawl into its basket. The girl bowed, though received no applause. The moment she was out of the way, Ty Lee grabbed the tail of the silk, stepping off of the platform. She spun down the silk to stop suspended six meters above the ground. She heard gasps, and a few guards standing at the defense. She merely giggled, waving.

She wrapped her hands twice in the silk above her, unwinding her legs so she could wrap her feet. She slid down into her splits, her hips dropping well below her feet. Flexibility tricks were her favorite, and she was happy to see it earned a few reactions. She released her front foot, falling to hang by nothing but her ankle.

As she spun and wrapped herself, yoyoing between the top of the silk and the bottom, she couldn’t help but notice someone— a _coworker, _to be exact —sneak behind the bleachers towards the royals. She furrowed her brows as she wrapped up a silk, hanging by her knees. She was normally told when acts after her own were changed, and—__

He had a knife in his hand.

She panicked, untangling herself in a rather ungraceful matter to make the jump to the ground. As the man climbed up behind the prince, specifically, she ran towards them, managing to jump over the guards by letting her feet hit their legs. They all went to apprehend her, until she jumped right over the prince, hitting two precise jabs to the man’s sternum, then his sciatic nerve. The man dropped, the knife in his hand clattering to the ground.

Ty panted, her heart beating rapidly as she stared at the now paralyzed man on the floor. She recognized him as one of the sword swallowers, explaining his access to the blade. “Backstabber,” he spat, struggling to move his limbs before giving up.

“You’re the one who was doing the backstabbing…” she scoffed, jumping down to kick away the knife. Soldiers soon surrounded them to pick him up, to drag him away to some horrid fate. The band had quit playing, cautiously circling the situation.

The princess, who, Ty Lee knew to be hard to impress, turned to her. She was prepared to be yelled at, for allowing him to get too close, for ruining the show, but… none of that. All she said was, “How on earth did you do that?”

She looked up, clasping her hands in a taiji knot. She bowed, scrambling for an answer. “Pressure points, Your Highness,” she responded, hoping her voice wasn’t shaking. “I used them to block his chi.”

Princess Azula looked up to her father, a smile curling up on her lips. “I like this girl, father,” she hummed. Ozai merely hummed, looking down at the girl.

“What’s your name?” He asked simply.

“Ty Lee, Your Majesty.”

“Ty Lee… what?”

“I… have no family name.”

“Thank you for saving my son, Ty Lee,” Ursa cut in. Her voice was much different than the others, warm and… well, maternal. She managed a nod. “How can we thank you?”

“Oh. Um, I couldn’t ask anything of you, My Lady.” she’d noticeably gotten shyer, holding her hands behind her and rubbing the ball of her foot into the sand.

“Perhaps I like this girl, too,” Ozai muttered.

“Oh, father,” Azula hummed. “We should have her stay at the castle to perform for the court. I found her quite entertaining.”

“Whatever you please, Azula,” he hummed fondly, rubbing her shoulder. Then, to Ty Lee, “Would that be satisfactory?”

“I—uh, it would be an honor, Your Majesty.”

❦

“I _don’t know, _Elume. I saw him with a knife and panicked! It isn’t my fault I can see everything from up there!” Ty rambled, scrubbing her face with rice water. Her hair was flowing freely onto her back, the pins in a pile at her feet. “What did you want me to do, not stop him?”__

“No,” Elume muttered. “I wanted you to say no and stay here.”

“You think I’m dumb enough to say no to the flipping Fire Lord?” She sighed, rubbing her face. “If the princess wants you in court, you go to court. That’s how things work here,” she muttered. She tied her hair into a loose knot, shoving the mass of pins in her small sack of belongings. Mostly, silks and ropes, and a bar that stuck out the top. “You think I want to go? I’ll be lucky if I don’t mess up within the week and get myself killed.” She pushed herself to stand, looking to the tent’s door. “You know where my family lives, yeah?” She asked. “Tell them I won’t be coming by this time. Or… ever,” she shrugged.

She stepped out of the tent, not wanting to look back to see her face. The circus was her family, as stupid as that sounded. But she was supposed to be getting a room, reliable food, and a consistent audience. So it couldn’t be that bad, right?

The circus tent was set up near the castle, perhaps ten minutes on foot. Fifteen, because Ty couldn’t simply walk without doing something to make it more interesting. She was trying to see if she could do an areal with her bag in her hand, making several attempts as she travelled.

Once she made it onto grounds, she was visible from a few of the Royal chambers, specifically, Azula’s. The princess was standing on her balcony, watching Ty Lee try one more time to do the trick, and her happy squeal when she landed it. She smiled some as she watched, a smile she didn’t show often. Not some kind of plotting, mischievous smile, just a genuine grin. She ran downstairs when the guards opened the door for her, sitting at her spot by her father.

Ty had a notably different posture now, stiff and upright. She bowed before the royal family, leaning down on her knee. Ozai looked to Azula, smiling some. “My dear, go ahead and show her to her room.”

“Yes, father.”


End file.
